Brooks and His OC Talk About Commitment to Cal

The Bears picked up their first RB commit of the 2018 recruiting class with the commitment of 5-11/195 Chandler (Chandler, AZ) High School running back DeCarlos Brooks last night.

Brooks had the chance to visit Cal the other week and everything clicked for the versatile back on his trip to Berkeley.

"I know it was just an unofficial visit but they really treated me like family there," said Brooks.

"I loved the campus. It was really nice and just the area, in general. The weather's great. I love the coaches. Some of them were meeting me for the first time but they treated me very well, as did the players. I met some of their current players and some of the incoming freshmen and they were great guys. The all-around level of competition and they good vibes I felt up there -It was just an all-around good experience for me."

Brooks and his offensive coordinator, Rick Garretson see the Cal offense as a particularly good fit for the Chandler back.

"Their offense really fits my style," said Brooks. "I really like how they run things.

"Chandler runs a similar zone blocking scheme. They said they believe I can fit into their offense really well with my pass-catching ability out of the backfield and my hard-nosed running style and good vision."

"We played Miami Northwestern and they were one of the fastest teams in the country last year, even faster than IMG Academy, who we played earlier in the year," said Garretson. "Our other big running back broke his hand before the game so that was DeCarlos's show. He went for 180 and a touchdown and another 80 yards and another touchdown receiving.

"He's a very good receiving back, which in the college world, especially at place like Cal, that's really important.

"He's really worked hard on his receiving in the summer. We've played a lot of good teams in several 7-on-7 tournaments and DeCarlos was pretty much a man amongst boys in the receiving game.

"He's a strong kid and he's improved his speed since the season. I think he came in third or fourth in the state in the 110 hurdles. He's just one of those guys -much like Paul Perkins, who played at UCLA and is now in the NFL, with receiving skills, running skills and strength. He's a pretty yoked-up kid.

"We have a great offseason weight training program with our head coach Shaun Aguano and our offensive line coach, Chris Chick, who's a former Cal player. Those guys work hard.

"Your best year in high school football is going to be your last year. You're bigger and stronger, more experienced, and he won't have to split time with another D1 back."

Brooks' comfort level with the Cal staff was a clincher for him and the time the staff took to get to know Brooks before offering paid dividends.

"Coach Ragle and Coach Toler have been with me for a while," said Brooks. "They started recruiting me in February and they really got to know me personally before they made any moves. Coach Ragle flew down to see me practice. Then Coach Toler came down, too. When he got back, they offered me and I was really appreciative."

Cal's academics played a strong role in Brooks' commitment to Cal, as well.

"The academics at Cal are something that's really important to me," said Brooks, who has a 3.5 gpa and 29 ACT score. "I got to talk to Abbie, who's one of the academic support people, and she broke it down for me really well.

"I'd like to study business and build my own brand. I know Cal has a lot of resources and alumni that can help me achieve that."

Under head coach Justin Wilcox, the triple play of athletic talent, strong academics and character all play key roles in Cal's recruiting priorities and with that in mind, Brooks seems to be a good fit for the Bears.

"As a person, if you want to have the perfect type of kid -hard worker, great in the classroom, great on the football field and outstanding in the community, he's all that and more," said Garretson. "All you have to do is meet his dad and you'll figure out why he's the way he is.

"He's a bona fide, very humble, lets his play do the talking for him type of player.

"He'll have a big senior year. We rotated our running backs last year with Drake Anderson, a Northwestern signee (2007 yards, 37 td's). DeCarlos still rushed for almost 1400 yards and 14 td's.

If it's a "legit" 4.7, that is plenty fast enough for a good hurdle time, considering how important technique is for that race. It's a little more doubtful if it's more like a 4.9. On the other hand, Jerry Rice ran a 4.7 I believe and if you only watched his highlights you'd think he was the fastest man to ever play the sport, so who cares.

Track speed is different from football speed but there's obvious cross over. I'd imagine with higher level training at the college level his speed can improve, or perhaps more importantly his first step and ability to hit the gap. Unless he plans on running track, I'd guess some adjustments will be made.

Any way...looking forward to watching Brooks at Cal. A big back will help a balanced offense. Go Bears!